The Home Bar

Core Question: What Is the Ideal Cocktail Experience for the Home?

The primary goal of the project was to develop a simple and convenient pod-based cocktail maker for home use, combining the capabilities of AB InBev and Keurig Dr. Pepper.

The core question driving this goal was: What is the ideal cocktail experience for home, and how can our combined capabilities deliver it?

To answer this, Altitude industrial and brand design teams partnered closely with the Drinkworks team to translate this question into actionable design principles. Through collaboration and exploration, the teams identified the key attributes that would define the ultimate at-home cocktail experience.

Three foundational principles emerged as the core design drivers:

• Revolutionary Simplicity – Achieved through an immediate, intuitive user experience that removes barriers to enjoyment.

• Inspiring Passion – Expressed through premium materials, exceptional drink quality, and a crafted, elevated experience.

• Clever Playfulness – Brought to life through variety, surprise, and the joyful rituals that make each cocktail moment unique.

These principles guided every aspect of the design and product development process, ensuring that the final experience felt effortless, engaging, and distinctly crafted for the home environment.

Challenge: Defining the “Keurig of Cocktails”

As the team set out to develop the industrial design guided by the defined design drivers, a central challenge emerged: what does it mean to create the “Keurig of cocktails”? All of the design drivers were deeply connected to the familiar, effortless experience of using a Keurig, so understanding that essence became critical.

To uncover this, the team conducted design research exploring both the core Keurig experience and the rituals of home and professional cocktail-making. These insights revealed the key opportunities to translate the simplicity, consistency, and delight of Keurig into a cocktail experience.

With a clear vision of the “Keurig of cocktails,” the team moved into industrial design development, ensuring that every detail of the product and user experience reflected these insights.

“The Home Bar” : Your Personal Bartender

“The Home Bar” is inspired by authentic bar elements to deliver the look and feel of a real bar, while offering a revolutionary, simple experience without compromising the authentic taste of the drinks.

The overall wide proportions are inspired by traditional bar layouts, providing both preparation and crafting experiences in the same space, just like in a real bar.

The beer tap tower–inspired chrome pouring tower enhances the bar aesthetic through its shape and material. It also emphasizes the main interaction areas: where the cocktail is dispensed, as well as the button and pod insertion areas. The overall color and finish are toned down to let the tower stand out even more.

The aluminum handle gives a cool tactile sensation when touched, creating an emotional connection with the cold cocktails. It also provides a gentle pressing feeling when closing the lid, hinting at the crafting process, even though all pod-puncturing processes are fully automatic, inspiring a sense of passion for mixology.

Using “The Home Bar” is simple and intuitive, requiring only four steps from choosing a cocktail to pouring it. The experience mirrors the classic Keurig simplicity, offering the easiest way to enjoy high-quality drinks.

By combining Keurig Dr. Pepper’s pod-based single-serve mechanical engineering with AB InBev’s premium alcoholic beverage technology, “The Home Bar” becomes your personal home bartender — delivering a simple, convenient, and intuitive cocktail experience right at home.